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J. A. OATSDEAN.

TRACTION DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION mso JAN. 2o, 19m.

1,319,018. Patented 001111919.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

f Patented oet.v 14,1919.

l Application fiieaxaauary 2o, 1919. serial no. 272,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown thatI, JOHN A.' OA'rsDn-in, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State` of Ohio, have invented VVcertain new and useful Improvements in Traction Devices for Motor-'Vehiclesvof which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in traction devices for motor vehicles, and more particularly to that classer 'type designated to be attached to the inner sides of the driving or traction wheels and adapted to be thrown into and out of operative trac-A tive position while the motor vehicle is in motion. 1 v j The primary object of the invention is to provide a geiierally'improved device of this class which will be exceedingly simple in construction, cheap ofA manufacture 'and ef` icient in use.

A further object of the invention is 'the provision of a device of this class which may be readily and quickly 'attached to or -detached from any ordinary driving or traction Wheel of a motor vehicle, andwhen inl use will not be liable to damageor disar-4 rangement of the parts."Y

A still further object of the invention is the" provision of improved operating and controlling mechanism normally held in an:N

inoperative position, whereby the traction members are normally held out of operative position or within the circumference of the tread of the driving or traction wheel, and whereby upon the operation of such operating and controlling device by'the'driver or chauffeur of the vehicle, traction devices are projected beyond the periphery or tread p'ortion of the traction wheel to engage the traction or road lsurface at the lower or traction engaging portion of the `Wheel during the! Vdrawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l, is a top plan view of a motor vehicle chassis, the rear or traction wheels thereof being equipped with the improved traction device, and illustrating in particular the hand lever mechanism for bringing the same into and out'of operation. l Y

Fig. 2, an enlarged central verticalfsetional view of one ofthedriving or traction wheels equipped with theimproved device, the parts being shown "in their operative position, whereby the radially movable traction'- membeis'or bars are projected into engagement with the traction or road surface at the lower or tread portion of the traction wheel during the revolution of the latter.

3,'a-Yside elevation of the same. I Fig. 4, a ktop plan'view of one of the friction shoes below the axis of the driving or traction wheel for engaging or projelfting the traction,members'orbars and projecting the latter beyond the tread ofthe traction wheel or tire, and into engagement with the traction surface or roadway'during the rotation of the traction whee Similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings. f v The'fimproved anti-shielding, or" traction device comprises an attaching and' supporting "member l, preferably in the' form of a disk ,or ring member, adapted to be attached to ordetachedvfrom an ordinary wheel felly 2,by meansof a plurality of attaching bolts 'Qsaid supporting disk orV ring member l,

being provided with lateral flanges la, provided witli a plurality of openings adapted to receive and contain a series of radi-ally ei;` i

tending traction members or bars 3.

As a means of resisting the projecting movements of the traction members orrbars 3, when operated by the mechanism hereinafter described, and also as a means of returning such traction members or bars 3,

after-being so actuated and normally holdfA mg the same in their inoperative or retracted ositions each traction member or bar 3 is provided with a coiled compression spring 4f, interposed between the outer flange la, and the stop members 3a, on the traction members or bars 3, said stop members 3a, normally abutting against-the inner flange la 7 and therebyholding the members 3, a Xed distance from the outer surface'of the wheel.

As a means of simultaneously causing the traction members 3, to be projected into conperipheryV or tread A tact with the traction surface or roadway at Y the lower or traction engaging portions of iior the wheels as the latter revolve, each chassis side member 5, is provided with a depending bracket carrying a rock-shaft 6, upon which is mounted a pair of friction shoes 7, each shoe 7, extending forwardly and below the wheel driving aXle 8, and aXle housing 8, each of said friction shoes being provided with a laterally extending cam shaped projection 7a, adapted to be moved into and out of the path of travel of the friction rollers 3b, carried at the inner` ends of the traction members 3, when operated by the operating and controlling mechanism, hereinafter described.

As a means of simultaneously actuating or raising and loweringthe friction shoes 7, each chassis side frameis provided with a depending bracket 5b, carrying a rock-shaft 9, said rock-shaft 9, being provided at its ends with lever arms 10, pivotally connected to the free or movable ends of the friction shoes 7, by means of pivot members 10a. As a means of actuating the rock-shaft 9, the latter is provided with an upwardly extending lever arm 11, connected to a horizontally extending rod 12, mounted, in the present instance, in guide bracket-s 5C, on one of the chassis side members, and being connected to an operating lever 13, within convenient reach of the driver or chauffeur of the motor vehicle. As a means of normally holdingthe friction shoes 7, in an inoperative position or out of the path of the friction rollers 3b, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, of the drawings, whereby said traction members 3, will not be broughtrinto projecting and retracting action, the rod 12, is provided with a surrounding coiled compression spring 14,

abutting against one of the guide brackets' 5, and an adjustable block 12a, on the rod 12, it being obvious that the tension of the spring lll, may be readily adjusted by adj usting the adjustable block 12a.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.

Having thus described one of the embodiments of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a traction device for motor vehicles, the combination with a pair of traction wheels provided with radially movable traction bars, and the chassis of a motor vehicle; of a rock shaft mounted on said chassis and provided with friction shoes extending beneath the aXle portions rof said traction wheels and adapted to be moved into and out of the path of said traction bars, a rock shaft on said chassis provided with arms pivotally connected to said friction shoes and adapted to move the latter into the path of said traction members whereby the latter are pressed into engagement with the traction surface during the rotation of the traction wheels, a Vcrank arm on said rock shaft at one side of said chassis, an operating rod connected to said crank arm of said roclt shaft, a spring normally holding said rod and rock shaft and shoes out of the path of said traction members, and an operating lever for operating said rod against the lresistance of said spring.

In testimony whereof I vhave affixed my signature.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents; Washington, D. 0. 

